Temperature operated valve



Dec. 5, 1950 E. J. DILLMAN 2,532,896

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M Mw@ ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5., 195

lUN ITD 4STAT ES `FI 255372,896 l TEMPERATURE OPERATD VALVE :Earnest J. Dillm'an, Detroit, Mieli., 4assigner to Detroit VLubrioattor Company, Detroit, fMioh., ai corporation iof :Michigan `i'rpiiiceiiiiii jeceni'ber s, 1944,Seiie1 im. 'ee

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6 Claims. (o1i .23e-ess) vrotiiion Asci `their 4the upper section-Io which `is' e fmpereiiiie responsive eewef lenient @mail iii Ami@L -primi body eeiiioriiifrigi-e ease of @nembei pfiiiiioii qi meinbef 2s ende iop @i @ever-remi rimini meiiibfzii. The mem'ieis einem fle 1f iry'ee" ieiileeianiped iii-geom as' ty'i of the cover member to communicate with the space over the diaphragm member 3|. In the bore 34 there is a plunger 36 which seats on a sealing plug 31 of resilient pliable elastic material positioned within the sealing bore 35. The plunger 36 is aligned with the stem Il and is cooperable with the end portion 38 of the stem section I9, the stem II serving as an operating rod for actuation of the valve member 9. Surrounding the stem section I9 there is a collar or flange 39 carrying a spring abutment member 40 which substantially lits the bore of the tubular supporting member 23 so as to guide the lower end of the rod or stem II. Positioned between the member 49 and the end face of the plug member I3 there is a helical coil compression spring 4| which normally urges the valve member to its seat to close the port 8. The power element 25 is more fully described in the copending application of Sergius Vernet 444,178 led May 23, 1942, now Patent No. 2,368,181 of January 30, 1945, for Sealing Means.

The lower or outer end of the element base member 26 is provided with an open end slot 42 providing a saddle to receive and sit on a pipe or conduit 43 which may be a portion of the outlet conduit leading from the refrigerant condensing unit of a water cooled condenser which has its supply of cooling water controlled by the valve member 9. The thermostatic valve is clamped to the conduit 43 by a clamping plate 44 which is tightly secured to the member 26 by screws 45, such that the clamping member is generally in the form of a clevis.

The operation of this valve of Fig. l is described by way of example as controlling cooling water flow to a refrigerant condenser. When the temperature of the outlet conduit 43 exceeds the desired temperature, showing that the refrigerant is not being properly condensed, then the thermostatic material 36 will expand or change state and force the plunger 36 upward or outward into engagement with the lower end portion of the rod I I. Continued force on the plunger 36 will overcome the spring 4I and move the valve member 9 toward open position thereby permitting cooling water from the source of supply connected to the pipe 46 to ow through the inlet 2 into the chamber 4 and thence through the port 8 and the outlet chamber 'I to the passageway I2 and outlet 3 and thence through the supply pipe 41 to the condenser cooling space for the refrigerant medium. As soon as the temperature of the refrigerant medium leaving the condenser through the pipe 43 drops to the desired temperature, the material 30 contracts, so that the spring 4I can move the valve member 9 toward closed position thereby throttling the iiow of cooling water to the condenser. If it is desired to remove the Valve member for cleaning or the like, this may be readily done by removing the cap member 5 and then unscrewing the section I9 from the section I9 which is held against rotation by the pin 2|.

Referring to Fig. 2, the numeral 56 designates the valve casing having a flow passageway 5I]a therethrough `with internally screw-threaded inlet and outlet and having interposed therein a valve port 5I formed by a valve seat member 53 positioned transverse to the center line of the inlet and outlet. Aligned with the seat member 53 there is a valve chamber 54 which opens at its outer end to the exterior of the casing 50. Forming the outer end of the chamber 54, there is an annular clamping ange 55 which is internally Y screw-threaded to receive the screw-threaded end portion of a tubular supporting member 56. Carried by the lower or outer end of the supporting member 553 there is a temperature responsive power element 5l generally similar to the power element 25 but diiering therefrom in that the Vbase member 58 does not have the clamping saddle. Also in this form shown in Fig. 2, the power element cover member extension 59 is externally screw-threaded to screw within a sleeve member 66 which fits within and is screw-threaded into the supporting member 55. It will be apparent that the sleeve member 6% serves as an adaptor for the proper support of the power element on the member 56. The power element plunger 6I has a longitudinal recess to receive the lower end portion 62 of the valve operating rod or stem. The Valve stem is of two-part construction, the portion 52 being carried by a disc 63 reciprocal in a cylinder S4 and held against removal therefrom by a bead or flange E5. The disc 63 is held against the iiange 65 by a lost-motion spring 56 contained within the cylinder 64 and acting against the inner wall thereof. Cooperable with the seat member 53 and operable to close or control the port 5I there is a valve member 6l of conical type which is carried by the end wall of the cylinder 64. The upper end portion of the cylinder 6d is guided for reciprocation, as at 68, in the outer end portion of the Valve chamber 54. The cylinder 64 has a surrounding llange or spring seat @e which cooperates with the supporting member 5% to guide the lower or outer end portion of the valve stem or operating rod. Surrounding the cylinder S4 and the valve operating rod there is a helical coil spring lll which is held under compression between the casing 56 and the flange 59 so that it opposes operation of the valve member 6l by the power element 5l. The power element 5l as above noted is substantially similar to the power element 25 and therefore like parts in this Fig. 2 are designated by like characters applied to Fig. l with the suffix a.

The operation of the valve of Fig. 2 is as follows: When the temperature affecting the material 362d has increased to the lower end of the desired Valve operating temperature range, the material will begin to iorce the plunger 36a upward against the iorce of the spring 'I9 and at the desired temperature will seat the valve 67 to close the port 5I. If the material 36a should continue to expand or exert pressure when the valve member 6l has been seated, then-the spring 66 will be collapsed thereby permitting lost-motion of the power element without injuring the power element or Valve member or its seat. Upon cooling of the material 39a, as by reduction of temperature to which it is subjected, the spring 'IIJ will move the valve member 6l away from its seat 5I and permit iiow through the valve passageway and port 5I.

Referring to Fig. 3, designates a valve casing having a passageway 3l therethrough with the inlet and outlet ends thereof in alignment. In the passageway 8l there is a valve seat member 82 providing a valve port 83 positioned transverse to the-center line of the inlet and outlet ports. Cooperable with the seat member 82 and operable to control flow through the port 83 there is a ball type valve member 84 positioned in a Valve chamber 85. The member 84 is positioned laterally by the chamber side walls and seats loosely on a valve stem or operating rod 25 having its upper end portion 8l in the form of a pin guided in a center line aperture through a packing gland or nut BB screw-threaded into the outer end of the mans' seaiing said bore, a plunger seating on and movable by said responsive means and guided in said bore, a valve casing carried by the other end of said supporting member and having a valve port, a valve member in said casing for controlling flow through said part, a two-part operating rod alined with and movable by said plunger and extending through said port, said'valve member being screw-threadedly secured to one of the parts of said rod, said rod being separable and rigidly screw-threaded together for operation, a guide member carried by the other part of said rod and operable to hold said other rod part against rotation for separation oi the rod parts whereby said valve member can be removed, and spring means acting through said rod in opposition to movement of said rod by said responsive material.

2. A thermostatic device, comprising a tubular supporting member, a temperature responsive power element carried by one end of said supporting member, said element having a two-part body enclosing an expansion' chamber, a diaphragm within said body and sealing said chamber, one part of said body having a hollow eatension secured within one end oi said supporting member, the other part of said body having a pipe receiving yoke, a clamping plate removably secured to said yoke, a sealing plug in said extension and engaging and movable by said diaphragm, temperature responsive power generating material within said chamber and operable upon temperaturev increase to move said diaphragm, a plunger guided in said extension, a lcontrol casing carried by the other end of said supporting member, control means in said casing, a two-part operating rod reciprocally guided in said casing and having sections screw-threaded together, said rod having one section operatively v secured to said control means and having its other section extending into cooperable relation to said plunger for movement thereby, a iiange on said rod other section within said supporting member, means holding said rod other section against rotation so that said rod one section and said control means can be disconnected from said power element, and a spring resisting operation of said control means by said power element and positioned within said supporting member and acting on said flange.

3. A thermostatic valve comprising a valve casing having a tubular extension and having a bore therethrough extending through said extension, said bore having an annular shoulder within said extension and facing the interior of said casing,

ing passageways connecting one of said openings to said bore on one side of said valve seat member and connecting the other ci said openings to said bore on the other side of said valve seat member, a two-part valve stem rigidly screw-threaded together, one stem part extending through the port in said seat member and the other stem part reciprocally tting said guideway and projecting from said extension, said plug having a longitudi-4i nal guide slot opening into said guideway, a guide pin projecting from said other stem part into said guide slot, a valve member on said one stem part and cooperable with said seat member on the opposite side from said other stem part, a tubular supporting member projecting from and having one end secured in said extension, said other stem part having a flange within said extension, a helical spring surrounding said other stem part and being held under compression by and between said plug and said flange, a thermostatic power element having a casing with a cover member having a tubular extension fitting and secured in the other end of said tubular supporting member, a plunger engageable with said stem and reciprocally fitting the bore of said last-named extension, temperature responsive material in said power element casing, a diaphragm in said casing and clamped by said cover member and transmitting movement from said responsive material to said plunger, said casing having a pipe receiving yoke, and a clamping plate cooperable with and closing the open side of said yoke.

e, A thermostatic valve comprising a valve casing having a tubular extension and having a bore therethrough extending through said extension, said bore having an annular shoulder within said extension and facing the interior of said casing, said casing having alined inlet and outlet openings transverse to said bore and having a screw cap closing the opposite end of said boreV from said extension, said bore having an annular shoulder facing said cap and positioned in the plane of said openings, said bore being screwthreaded between said shoulders, a sealing plug seating on said first-named shoulder and scre' threaded in said bore and having a guideway therethrough alined with said bore, a valve seat member screw-threaded in said bore and seating on said second-named shoulder, said casing having passageways connecting one of said openings to said bore on one side of said valve seat member and connecting the other of said Vopenings to said bore on the other side of said valve seat member, a two-part valve -stem rigidly screw-threaded together, one stem partV extending through the port in said seat member and the other stem part reciprocally fitting said guideway and projecting from said extension, said plug having a longitudinal guide slot opening into said guideway, a guide pin projecting from said other stem part into said guide slot, a valve member on said one stem part and cooperable with said seat member on the opposite side from said other stem part, a tubular supporting member projecting from and having one end secured in said extension, said other stem part having a iange within said extension, a helical spring surrounding said other stem part and being held under compression by and between said plug and said flange, and actuating means operable to move said valve stem.

5. A thermostatic valve comprising a tubular sup-porting member, a temperature responsive power element including a rigid casing having a part iitting within and sealed to one end of said supporting member,V said power element casing having a cavity with a rigid cover memloerV having a guideway therethrough opening directly into said cavity and said supporting member, temperature responsive material in said cavity, a diaphragm in said casing and sealing said responsive material from said guideway, a plunger recprocally fitting said guideway and movable by said diaphragm, a valve casing having a tubular extension slidably receiving and rigidly secured to the other end of said supporting member, said extension having an internal shoulder against which one end of said supporting member seats, a valve member in said valve casing for controlling flow therethrough, a separable two-part operating rod alined with and movable With said plunger and having one part guided in said supporting member and having its other part connected to and operable to move said valve member, spring means acting directly on and through said one rod part in opposition to movement of said rod by said responsive material, said rod parts being screww threaded together for endwise movement of said other part and valve member relative to said one part and spring means, and means cooperable with said rod to hold positively one of said rod parts against rotary movement during rotation of the other part.

6. A Valve as dened in claim 5 wherein said valve member is a butterfly valve and lis connected by a pinned connection for operation by said valve stem, and said pinned connection pro- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,234,573 Sandvoss July 24, 1917 1,290,249 Lawler Jan. 7, 1919 1,528,788 Rayeld Mar. 1l), 1925 1,751,688 Eggleston Mar. 25, 1930 1,884,794 McKee Oct. 25, 1932 1,952,683 Resek et a1 Mar. 27, 1934 2,241,324 Selby May 6, 1941 2,277,998 Thompson Mar. 31, 1942 2,368,181 Vernet Jan. 30, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,211 Great Britain 1904 633,276 Germany July 213, 1936 

